| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mia Blakeney |
Box Office Round-up
It’s been a good year for music biopics so far as Back To Black opened in the top spot at the UK box office with £2.8m. While Bob Marley: One Love opened with £4.2m in February (up 53% from Back To Black), the past weekend was the first warm and sunny weekend of the year, which would have affected the box office. Bob Marley: One Love is on its way out of cinemas and to date has grossed £17.1m, so if Back To Black finishes 53% behind that it will get to £11.2m. But with more inclement weather on the horizon, hopefully Back To Black can claw some of that deficit back. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody finished its run with £11.6m, so that’s a good target for Back To Black.
Alex Garland’s Civil War made it a top two of new entries as it opened with £1.8m, which includes £264k from previews after an IMAX-only release on Tuesday, before opening everywhere on Thursday. This is comfortably Garland’s best opening to date with his last film, 2022’s Men, opening with £520k and finishing with just over £1m. His best performing film to date is 2015’s Oscar-winning Ex Machina, which opened with £1.1m and finished with £2.9m, a total that Civil War should easily fly past.
After two weekends in the top spot, Kung Fu Panda 4 fell to third adding £1.8m, a drop of 38% from last weekend, which takes its total to £17.3m. It has now surpassed the final totals of Kung Fu Panda 2 (£16.9m) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (£14.3m). It’s now just over £3m behind the total of the first Kung Fu Panda’s £20.4m and it looks like it will get there.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire fell to fourth, adding £1.2m, a drop of 39% from last weekend. That takes its total to £11.9m and it is the third highest grossing Godzilla film in the UK & Ireland, behind the 1998 version (£16m) and the 2014 version (£17.2m)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire rounded out the top five, adding £787k, a drop of 43% from last weekend, which takes its total to £14.1m. The previous film in the series, Ghostbusters: Afterlife finished its run with £11.5m so Frozen Empire is well past that.
Outside the top five, Dune: Part Two extended its lead as the biggest film of 2024 to date, adding £568k for a new total of £38.1m. It wasn’t a great weekend for South Asian releases as the expected hits, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan, were outperformed by Aavesham and from far fewer screens too. Aavesham opened in ninth with £207k, which includes £54k from previews.
Next Weekend
Abigail is a new horror film from the makers of Scream VI and Ready Or Not. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens and Kathryn Newton star.
The Book Of Clarence is a comedy drama starring LaKeith Stanfield, Alfre Woodard and James McAvoy. Struggling to find a better life, Clarence (Stanfield) is captivated by the power of the rising Messiah and soon risks everything to carve a path to a divine existence.
Butterfly Tale is a new animation about a pair of butterflies who form an unlikely friendship.
The Buzz
Joker: Folie A Deux is the sequel to one of the biggest films of the last five years. Joker was released on 4 October 2019 and despite its 15 certificate, it quickly became DC Comics’ biggest film in the UK & Ireland finishing its run with £58.3m. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning two, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. In terms of admissions it delivered 5.7m DCM admissions and across the industry it delivered approximately 31 16-34 adult TVRs. It was a genuine sensation. This sequel sees the electric Lady Gaga join the cast as Harley Quinn and the film is reported to include 15 well-known songs. It’s one of the most exciting film prospects of 2024 and we’re forecasting it to deliver 20 16-34 adult TVRs. The first trailer launched last week and has been warmly received online. Joker: Folie a Deux is in cinemas on 4 October 2024 (exactly five years after the first).
Across The Pond
Alex Garland’s Civil War opened in the top spot with $25.7m, A24’s biggest ever opening weekend. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire fell to second, adding $15.5m, which takes its total to $157.9m. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire added $5.8m in third taking its total to $97m. Kung Fu Panda 4 added $5.5m in fourth for a new total of $173.7m and Dune: Part Two rounded out the top five, adding $4.3m for a new total of $272.1m.